One Stormy Night
by The Written One
Summary: What Miss Drill finds one day while hiking in the woods may change Cackles forever.
1. In the Woods

"Ahhh." Imogen smiled as she took in a deep breath of fresh, post-rain air. She paused to look at the scene around her--the campus resembled a war zone. The ground was still wet and slick with mud, and tangles of tree limbs were everywhere. She continued on her regular morning hike, twigs snapping beneath her trainers as she walked. Imogen loved the crisp, calming weather nature had to offer the morning after a brutal thunderstorm.

The night before hadn't been an easy one to sleep through. The raging winds whistled and howled through the thin castle windows with a fierce vengeance. Trees and limbs whipped about, swaying past their limits and snapping. Lightning bolts flashed brightly, lighting up the dark castle, their booming crashes echoing throughout the building. Miss Hardbroom was on strict patrol, marching up and down the hall--a single head poking outside a bedroom door and she slapped the offender with a heavy load of detentions. The clicking of her heels along with the rain spatters, wind blowing, thunder crashing and general symphonic cacophony outside was beginning to frighten even Imogen just a bit. She couldn't recall ever seeing a storm like this in her life.

It was now almost 7 AM as Miss Drill surveyed the damage done. Everything looked reparable, aside from a splintered broomshed crushed by falling timber. It was a good thing the brooms were brought inside the night before out of fear of them being destroyed. That was Miss Hardbroom's suggestion, and Imogen couldn't help but wonder if the deputy headmistress knew that the shed was going to be crushed.

Miss Drill looked at her watch and decided it was time to start heading back to the castle--she had wandered off quite some distance. She closed her eyes to take in more of the sweet clean air, when she suddenly found herself on hands and knees in the mud. "Oww." She finally managed to say after recovering._ What on earth did I trip over?_ She stood slowly--her legs now ached a bit--and wiped her muddy hands onto the pants of her tracksuit. She turned around to look for the branch guilty of sending her falling. Instead of a tree branch, though, Imogen was met by a sight that shocked her so strongly that she suddenly felt dizzy and short of breath. She stood staring at the object on the ground, trying to make sense of what was going on. Breathing heavily, she finally snapped out of her stupor and broke out into a mad dash back to the castle, slightly slipping on the wet stones, but carrying on faster than ever.

"MISS HARDBROOM!!!!!!!!" Came a frantic voice ringing through the halls. "Oh where are you, Miss Hardbroom?!" The sounds of her panic were so loud, girls started stirring in their sleep. Some opened their doors and looked around, groggy and confused. Suddenly the voice's owner came running through the main hall, tripping over her own footsteps, sprinting up the stairs. "Miss Hardbroom!" Yelled Imogen frantically, as she finally reached the staff room, ripping the door open with all her might.

"Good heavens, Miss Drill, have you no decency whatsoever?!" Miss Hardbroom scolded. "Mark my words, you'll have a--"

"Constance!" Imogen interjected, Constance's eyes bulged, "you've got to follow me right away!"

Miss Hardbroom's face was contorted in confusion and rage as she tried to digest what had just happened. Was she really just interrupted in the middle of her sentence? "Did you just--?" Did that ever happen to her before in her life? "I don't think anyone ever--!" She took in a breath to begin ranting to Imogen about the importance of hearing people out when she noticed Miss Drill panting so heavily that tears started rolling down her face. The urgency of the situation finally hit Constance and she strode out of the staff room purposefully, Miss Drill following behind her.

"Outside?" Questioned Miss Hardbroom as Miss Drill flung open the front door.

"Yes. This way. Hurry."

They ran through Walker's Gate, deep into the woods. Miss Drill began picking up speed and Miss Hardbroom jogged clumsily behind her, trying to balance on uneven ground in her heeled boots and move her legs through her dress that was a bit too constricting for this type of running. "Miss Drill!" She began losing speed and stopped to catch her breath, looking on at the frantic Drill dashing through the woods. _What on earth could be out there?_ She wondered. She sighed, exasperated, and waited for Imogen to reach her destination, then folded her arms and promptly appeared next to her.

"Now, what's this all about?" Miss Hardbroom asked as she materialized. Miss Drill was silent, staring. Constance slowly followed Imogen's gaze to the ground and gasped. "Oh my..." She knelt down and stared, her mouth slightly agape. Out of all the things Constance might have expected to see in the middle of the woods, this was certainly not one of them.

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**A/N: Well, what did you think?? I hope it's not too big of a cliffhanger for you! I have the next chapter done already--it's a short one--so once I see some interest I'll post it! Please read and review!! :o) Thanks**


	2. The Find

"Is she alive? Is she breathing?" Miss Drill asked, pacing back and forth as Miss Hardbroom tried to make sense of what was going on. She studied the small, crumpled heap on the ground, covered in mud--a young girl--badly bruised and battered.

Miss Hardbroom extended her spell-casting fingers and gingerly took the girl's wrist in her hand. Miss Drill held her breath, waiting. "It isn't strong, but there's a pulse there." She said finally, and a wave of relief washed over both teachers.

"I don't understand!" Miss Drill cried as Miss Hardbroom continued assessing her vitals. "What was such a young girl doing outside in a storm like that one?! How did she end up here? Is she a student?"

Miss Hardbroom glanced at the girl's face, barely able to make out features through dirt, leaves, and scratches, her hair all tangled and strewn about. She reached out and delicately ran a finger across the girl's forehead, pushing some hair to the side. "She doesn't seem familiar."

"Is she a… witch?" Imogen asked cautiously.

Miss Hardbroom pondered this and looked at the girl, sprawled out across the ground. Carefully, she opened the cloak that covered her body, heavy and soaked with rain, and gently removed it to conduct the examination. The girl's legs were tangled and one arm was lying limply at her side. The other arm, unseen by Constance before, rested lightly across her chest, and at the end of it, her small hand held out spell-casting fingers. Constance sighed. "Yes," she confirmed. A witch. A little witch--knocked out cold--still holding one hand tightly in advanced-magic-mode, probably trying to save herself from whatever had caused this to happen.

Constance shook her head, incredulous. "I don't understand it myself, Miss Drill." She said softly, addressing Imogen's previous hysteria. "Whatever transpired, she's in bad shape."

Miss Drill put her head in her hands—her mind spinning with silent prayers.

"We've got to get her inside quickly. Summon Miss Cackle and meet me in the staff room," Constance ordered. She rested one hand on the girl and the other on her own arm and took a deep breath. Imogen blinked, and they were gone. Sighing, she started trekking back to the castle, wishing for once that she could do what Constance could do.

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**A/N: Verrryy short chapter, sorry! I just felt this part was good enough to stand on its own, plus after that huge cliffhanger, I think finding this much out so quickly is a huge dose of awesome!! Wait, is this _another_ cliffhanger?! :-P More is already written, and I'll definitely keep updating if you gimme more reviews! Oh, and sorry, Blondie, no bunnies!! LOL… thanks so much everyone for encouraging me to continue on writing with full force! All reviews greatly appreciated—please, PLEASE let me know what you think so I can make the story one you enjoy! :o)**


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